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Great Grandpa

Great Grandpa began in Seattle in 2014 when guitarist & vocalist Patrick Goodwin recruited bassist Carrie Miller, drummer Cam LaFlam, vocalist Alex Menne, and guitarist Dylan Hanwright to form a humble rock band. Great Grandpa is inspired by the pop-sensible alternative rock of the 90's and offset by a mutual love for noise and math rock. Their latest EP, Plastic Cough came out summer 2017 via Double Double Whammy.

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do

We’re Great Grandpa, a band from Seattle, WA. We’ve been writing music and inventing the latest, greatest bits together since 2014.Separately, we do all kinds of things. Dylan works as an audio engineer; Al’s making a foray into teaching music lessons; Cam teaches English with middle school and high schoolers; Pat’s an environment artist for video games and VR experiences; and Carrie’s pursuing her masters degree in Nursing.

What are some recent, upcoming, or current projects you are working on?

Al’s making solo music as Pickle Boy. Dylan’s got an album in the works for his project Trashlord. Cam and Dylan have a newer band called Apples with Moya that’s recording their debut full-length this year. Aaaaand we’re currently writing material for LP 2!

Photo by Buggy Vigor

Can you tell us about your writing/recording process?

LP 2 is proving to be the most collaborative effort yet. Pat’s still a major contributor songwriting-wise, but this new LP will feature more song ideas from other members. All of us separately write songs – sometimes skeletal ideas, other times with arrangements more firmly articulated – to bring to the group. We’ll then begin hashing out the body of the song, working on parts, trying out vocal harmonies, experimenting with structure, and writing lyrics. Recording demos is an important middle step for us in between writing the songs initially and going into the studio to record. They’re a critical reference for us to refer back to and make adjustments to the songs. Also, both “Can Opener” and “Plastic Cough” feature the Vibraslap at least once. Will LP 2 continue this sonic easter egg tradition???

Where do you plan to travel next?

We did three full U.S. tours after putting “Plastic Cough” out last summer. In addition to touring more stateside, we’d love to play Europe on the next record. Scotland for sure…shout out to The Spook School. 🙂

Can you share one of the best or worst reactions you have gotten as a result of your music?

Our first show in Bellingham, WA was at a house in early 2015. After our set someone gave us the highest praise by calling our music “heavy chill.” We’ll never forget it. We’re still trying to live up to those words.

Photo by Justin Haider

How has living in Seattle affected your music?

Most fundamentally we’ve been affected by friends and musicians in Seattle. There’s a lot of wonderful music happening, it’s hard not to be influenced! We could shout out endless groups: Special Explosion, Dogbreth, Whitney Ballen, Snuff Redux, Heavy Petting, Antonioni, Hoop, Merce Lemon…

What are you really excited about right now?

Lots! Hanging around Seattle for the most part this summer/fall to write and record LP 2. Playing Upstream Music Fest, Capitol Hill Block Party, and Bumbershoot. A couple of NW gigs with Special Explosion (their new record is superb). Pursuing our individual work, interests, and other creative projects.